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leg-of-mutton

or leg-o'-mut·ton

[leg-uh-muht-n, -uh v-]
adjective
  1. having the triangular shape of a leg of mutton: leg-of-mutton sail; a dress with leg-of-mutton sleeves.
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Origin of leg-of-mutton

First recorded in 1830–40
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for leg-of-mutton

Historical Examples

  • Then his arms were a little too long and terminated in two “leg-of-mutton” hands.

    The Twins of Suffering Creek

    Ridgwell Cullum

  • These boats are rigged with a modification of the leg-of-mutton sail.

    Boat-Building and Boating

    Daniel Carter Beard

  • There was a keg in the boat and a mast with a leg-of-mutton sail.

    Carette of Sark

    John Oxenham

  • The word has an Early Victorian sound that suggests side-whiskers and leg-of-mutton trousers.

    Flaming June

    Mrs. George de Horne Vaizey

  • Leg-of-mutton, humorous street term for a sheeps trotter, or foot.

    The Slang Dictionary

    John Camden Hotten

British Dictionary definitions for leg-of-mutton

leg-of-mutton

leg-o'-mutton

noun
  1. (modifier) (of a sail, sleeve, etc) tapering sharply or having a triangular profile
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Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012